Even though Jenelle didn’t show up to the reunion, Barbara still appeared to talk about her estranged relationship with her daughter and David. She speculated that Jenelle really didn’t show up because David wouldn’t let her be alone.

Jenelle EvansMTV

“I don’t feel Jenelle is OK,” Barbara said. “I’m just so so so worried.”

She even worried that David is going to act violently toward her, because of his aggression and his passion for guns.

“I’m going to be the first one shot cause I live closest,” Barbara said. “It scares me. He could come over and kill me any time.”

Briana May Quit the Show

Briana and her sister Brittany DeJesus showed up on stage to the reunion to break down the explosion that went down during last week’s episode. Briana tried to defend herself, but Brittany wasn’t afraid to call her sister out.

“You shouldn’t be fighting with no girl over no guy,” Brittany said. “Is it f—king worth it? Because he isn’t.”

Briana DeJesusMTV

Javi Marroquin won’t be happy when he hears that. Briana was so upset about the incident, she admitted to thinking about quitting the show.

“I’m just over it,” Briana said. “I don’t want to do it anymore.”

Briana’s emotional night only escalated when Dr. Drew brought up that all of the men in her life have disappointed her. She completely sobbed when he said she had “a lot to be mad about,” referencing her exes and her father who wasn’t in her life when she was young.

“I can’t do this, I’m sorry,” Briana said. “I don’t know why they don’t want to be there for their kids. I don’t get it.”

She admitted that Javi’s parenting is part of the reason why she likes him so much. “Javi is a great person when it comes to being a parent,” she said. “He was so great with Nova and Stella.”

Even though these two are not together currently, there seems to be some unresolved feelings.

Kailyn Goes Off About Javi and Briana

Kailyn wasn’t going to hold back after Briana tried to attack her on stage. She read the exact Instagram comment that Briana made in reference to Chris Lopez and her kids that set her off.

“I lost all respect,” Kailyn said. “The fact that you brought my kids into it, I felt some type of way.”

Javi Marroquin and Kailyn LowryMTV

She wasn’t going to let Javi get off easy, though, because she thinks he’s caused problems with her as well. “He is a manipulator,” Kailyn said. “When you’re in his presence, you forget that you hate him.”

Kailyn wasn’t worried about making anyone mad anymore, because she was obviously over it.

Kailyn Admitted She’s Still in Love With Chris

When Kailyn was asked if she would be interested in getting married again, she was conflicted. She admitted that it partially has to do with her relationship with Chris which was unlike any relationship she had ever had.

“I’m afraid to love somebody the way I loved Chris and for it to end the way Chris and I did,” she said, and revealed she’s still in love with him. She even started crying when she talked about how difficult the breakup was for her.

She added: “I know it would never work, so I wouldn’t go back.”

Part two of the Teen Mom 2 reunion airs on MTV Tuesday, August 20, at 9 p.m. ET.

Health nuts, back away from your smoothies. The Food and Drug Administration recently announced a recall of dairy-free Blue Diamond Almond Breeze almond milk over reports of contamination with . . . actual milk. The popular dairy-free brand, produced by HP Hood LLC — a New England-based dairy — will pull more than 145,000 half-gallon…Business | New York Post

Tiger Woods’ name shot to the top of the leaderboard at a major again. Ian O’Connor says it’s OK to imagine what it would feel like if he’s there when Sunday closes.www.espn.com – TOP
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WASHINGTON — Astronomers may have caught a relatively nearby star munching on a planet or mini-planets. A NASA space telescope noticed that the star suddenly started looking a bit strange last year. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory spotted a 30-fold increase in iron on the edge of the star, which is only 10 million years old,…Technology News & Reviews | New York Post

The Galaxy S10 will arrive in three flavors next year, a new report from Korea revealed, including a cheaper Galaxy S10 that will join the expected Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ models. All three phones will feature fingerprint sensors located under the display or on the sides, that report said. But that won’t be the only signature feature of the Galaxy S10.

The best version of the phone will feature a triple-lens camera on the back, and, of course, there’s a rumor about said camera setup.

Just like your other favorite celebrities, Porsha Williams also made sure to mark yesterday’s celebration with a gorgeous photo that she posted on her Instagram account. She used the occasion to wish all her fans and followers a Happy 4th of July. Take a look at the picture that she chose below.

‘Hey, Mrs. Porsha so quick question are you leaving the RHOA show bc if so I’m going to stop watching it Iove you,’ one concerned fan asked Porsha. We are not aware of something like this, and we hope that it’s not the case.

‘Hey, Porsha. Stay Beautiful and Focus. You have a sweetheart. Blessings,’ another follower posted.

‘Omg…I love watching you succeed in what you doing….love your hustle…and you are a beautiful and smart individual,’ one fan wrote, praising the RHOA star as well.

‘You look so beautiful and happy 4th of July to you and your family. I am so proud of you and how you carry your self. I am glad that you’re not letting these people still your joy and good luck with Gary with the tea.’ one person gushed over Porsha.

‘Ok P please tell Gary that I love him and the Brett’s and I love you too I had fun watching you guys on dish nation yeah I know how to brighten up a girls day,’ someone else also praised her.

‘Porsha4real you are looking very pretty. Keep doing what you are doing. You are winning,’ another commenter posted next to her pic in which we have to admit she looks fantastic as always. She also knows how to show off her features. You go, girl!

Google provides a lot of useful services, including the most popular smartphone operating system in the world. But what the company doesn’t have is gaming-friendly products, including hardware and software. Google is looking to change all that with a daring new gaming project of its own. The company is supposedly working on various ways to take on Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo with console-grade gaming.

On already shaky footing, Turkey’s economy and assets are likely to be affected as all eyes turn to what the powerful and growth-hungry winner of Sunday’s elections — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — will do next.Europe News

Since almost the dawn of on-device app stores, a theme has emerged: third-party app developers tend to focus more on iOS than on Android. The discrepancy began in the very early days of this mobile platform generation and has persisted even today. Despite the fact that Android has a much larger share of the global smartphone market, developers in general seem much more focused on Apple’s iOS platform than on Android. Maybe iPhone users spend money more freely, or perhaps Apple’s developer tools are more attractive. Whatever the case, we always seem to be talking about an iOS application when discussing a new app that’s only available on one platform.

The FIFA World Cup is in full swing this week. But if you prefer your soccer with a side of politics, the real tournament of the summer was the “alternative” World Cup that wrapped up on June 9, pitting teams from the world’s “nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories.”

While World Cup teams play for pride, these teams play for recognition. Started back in 2013, the soccer tournament is organized by the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA), a “politically-neutral, volunteer-run charity.” CONIFA oversees 47 teams, 16 of which made the cut for this year’s tournament in the U.K.

The participants came from all points of the globe, from the Abkhazians of northwest Georgia to the Matabelelanders of eastern Zimbabwe. Four teams showed themselves to be a cut above the rest: Szekely Land, Padania, Northern Cyprus and tournament champion Karpatalya. Here’s a brief overview of each.

4th Place: Szekely Land

Nestled in Central Romania, Szekely Land is home to hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hungarians. Originally part of Hungary, it was redrawn as part of Romania (twice, actually) in the treaties following both World Wars. The territory’s name comes from the Hungarian dialect they speak known as Szekel.

For decades, Szekely Land inhabitants were treated as second-class citizens by Romania’s communist dictatorship—they were barred from speaking Hungarian in public life, elections of Hungarian officials were invalidated, and cross-border communication was severely limited. Since the early 1990s and the fall of the USSR, the push for autonomy has been spearheaded by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, who seek territorial and cultural autonomy within Romania. Most protests have been peaceful, though a clash in 1990 left five dead.

Unfortunately for them, the Romanian government does not believe their grievances warrant independence. Still, the dream remains alive.

3rd Place: Padania

Padania comprises Italy’s northernmost regions, centered around the Po River Valley. Since Italy failed to qualify for the traditional World Cup, Padania’s 3rd-place finish is likely to be the country’s strongest showing in an international soccer tournament this summer. Padania is notable for another reason too—the group long-pushing for Padania’s break from Rome and the rest of Italy was a party called the Northern League… which recently rebranded itself as the “League” and stormed to second-place in Italian national elections.

For years, the Northern League had derided its Southern countrymen and decried the industrious north’s money being redistributed to the poorer south; those criticisms were muted as the League rose in national prominence. It’s now in an anti-establishment coalition government with the Euroskeptic Five Star Movement, where its strong anti-migration bent has Brussels on its heels. Still, the ambition to secede lives on for some—the “Great North” party is sprung from the remnants of the Northern League.

But it’s difficult to claim unfair treatment when the region’s political champion is now the one calling the shots in Rome. Plenty of others in this tournament would love to have this type of problem.

Runner-Up: Northern Cyprus

Northern Cyprus claimed second place as the losing tournament finalist. Cyprus has been one of the most dangerous flash points between rivals Turkey and Greece for years now—originally under British rule, Cyprus became an independent country in 1960. Today, 78 percent of the population is Greek-Cypriot, and 18 percent is Turkish-Cypriot. Both Turkey and Greece had originally agreed to respect the island’s independence and territorial integrity, but as tensions flared in the 1960s and early 1970s, the military junta in Athens backed an attempted coup by Greek-Cypriots in 1974, triggering an invasion of North Cyprus by Turkish troops. A population exchange between north and south soon followed, as did nearly a decade of failed negotiations. In 1983, North Cyprus declared its independence; to this day, no one besides Turkey recognizes it as an independent country.

Tensions between north and south have been at a relatively low simmer for some time, but so long as the Cyprus issue remains unresolved, it risks becoming a lightning rod for any Greek or Turkish politician seeking a nationalist bump in the polls.

Champion: Karpatalya

And finally, the team of the tournament. Karpatalya is located in the Carpathian mountains in western Ukraine, bordering Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. It houses nearly 1.2 million people of varying ethnic and religious backgrounds, prominent among them ethnic Hungarians. Amid the mayhem of World War II, the territory—once part of Czechoslovakia—declared independence for 24 hours before being annexed by Hungary. It was subsequently claimed by Ukraine under the banner of the Soviet Union when Europe was being divvied up after the war. When the USSR collapsed in 1991, a referendum saw nearly 8 in 10 Karpathians vote for autonomy… which was promptly dismissed.

What wasn’t dismissed was Karpatalya’s participation in the World Football Cup tournament. Ukraine’s Sports Minister, Igor Zhdanov, took to Facebook to decry the team’s participation: “I call on the Security Service of Ukraine to respond appropriately to such a frank act of sporting separatism. It is necessary to interrogate the players of the team… for the purpose of encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and ties with terrorist and separatist groups.” A good reminder that sometimes being ignored isn’t the worst thing in the world.

If you’ve been a fan of the old Burnout titles that just haven’t been receiving a whole lot of love lately (other than a remaster of Burnout Paradise) you’re likely going to be filled with joy with the two new racing titles in the works from some of the minds behind the…

Apple is sure taking its time coming up with original content that could compete with the likes of Netflix, HBO, and Hulu. But when the service launches next year, it might be sold as a standalone product that could be even more affordable than Apple’s biggest rival when it comes to video streaming right now, Netflix.

Netflix’s cheapest plan starts at $ 11 per month in the US, which is a bargain considering the incredible number of original TV series and movies Netflix throws at users on top of a vast catalog of content licensed from others. But the price has been increasing ever since Netflix first launched, and Apple could sneak in and steal some Netflix customers if its own streaming service proves cheaper.

The decision by FIFA, the body that governs international soccer, to award the 2026 World Cup to the combination of the United States, Canada and Mexico instead of Morocco — a nation widely considered unqualified to host the tournament — was a huge relief to many people who love the game. They had feared that the vote, which took place in Moscow, would once again prove an international embarrassment to the sport.

By placing the tournament in the U.S., FIFA will actually be entering the turf of its most damaging rival. Just over three years ago, the United States Department of Justice shocked the world by initiating a pre-dawn raid in Zurich, and arresting several international soccer officials. To date, nearly four dozen people have been indicted in the case for exchanging hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes. Many once untouchable administrators have been banned from the sport, including longtime FIFA president Sepp Blatter. And countless fans have had to confront the grim knowledge that rampant corruption has seeped into the game they loved. Their stomachs will not be settled this summer.

Following the purge of the corrupt leadership, soccer’s new bosses immediately declared a “new era.” They loudly condemned their predecessors. They made a show of promising to deliver a degree of transparency that seemed radical when compared to the sport’s four-decade financial black box. “You will be proud of FIFA,” the shiny-headed Swiss, Gianni Infantino, pledged soon after being elected the institution’s first new president in nearly 20 years.

But if there’s one takeaway from the sweeping corruption case, it’s that the problems afflicting a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that has operated without anything resembling oversight for decades turn out to run awfully deep. It’s one thing to bust a few crooked officials. It’s quite another to change an entire corrupt culture.

Take the fact that this World Cup is being held in Russia. Defenders of the country’s desire to host note that it has a long soccer history, highlighted by the great Soviet teams of the 1960s and ‘70s. But many questions hang over the 2010 decision to award the tournament to the nation instead of a very eager England — ones that may remain unanswered, as FIFA’s attempt to investigate the choice was stymied when Russia’s bid team claimed that all its computers were destroyed after the vote. FIFA, working on the dubious principle that if there are no records, there is no crime, cleared Russia of any wrongdoing.

As if to thumb his nose at critics, Vladimir Putin last fall made a public show of inviting Blatter to attend the tournament in person — even though FIFA gave Blatter a six-year ban in 2016 from attending any event. Blatter wasted little time in accepting the Russian leader’s offer, and it will be interesting to see where he will be seated at critical matches. Putin is expected to occupy a box with Infantino.

But Infantino’s record isn’t pristine, either. Since taking office in early 2016, Infantino has been the subject of two separate ethics complaints. One involved expense account abuses that included him putting a $ 10,000 mattress for his personal use on FIFA’s credit card; the other, perhaps more worryingly, included allegations that Infantino interfered with attempts to investigate potential corrupt acts. His name popped up in the Panama Papers. He’s repeatedly defended officials under indictment, at one point flying to Brazil for photo ops with the president of that country’s national association — a man so terrified of being arrested that he refuses to leave his own country. More recently, critics have accused Infantino of attempting to disqualify Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup on nitpicky technical grounds and thus aid the U.S.-Canada-Mexico bid. Infantino, for his part, has admitted he preferred the North American bid, but denied putting a finger on the scales.

The problems are hardly limited to FIFA headquarters in Zurich or, for that matter, Moscow.

Just last week, the Ghanaian government began the dissolution of the nation’s organizing body for the sport after a documentary aired on BBC showed its officials, including its president, repeatedly pocketing cash bribes as large as $ 65,000. In May, South America’s top soccer official, Paraguayan Alejandro Dominguez, shocked the U.S. and Mexico by offering a coveted guest spot in the 2019 Copa América tournament to Qatar’s woeful national team. The decision raised questions about the official’s increasingly cozy relationship with the petroleum-rich nation, which still labors under allegations that it somehow bought the vote awarding it the 2022 World Cup.

Soccer officials — long accustomed to being treated as if they were members of some sort of international aristocracy — like to cast the ongoing U.S. criminal investigation as a macabre conspiracy. They say the Americans have some grudge against the sport — or at FIFA not choosing it to host in 2022 instead of Qatar.

But there was no conspiracy. According to my conversations with people knowledgeable about the inner workings of the case, the prosecutors and special agents who have spent nearly eight years building America’s FIFA investigation never intended to bring down world soccer. They sought to simply cut out the cancerous rot afflicting the sport, believing that doings could actually give FIFA the opportunity to improve in the long term. To that end, the criminal purge wasn’t conceived of as the endpoint, but a small first step.

While FIFA has implemented a number of reforms, its changes so far have been derided as half measures in combatting a deep-seated culture of corruption. Its decision to award the 2026 World Cup to the U.S., Canada and Mexico may have averted another public relations disaster. But three years after the Zurich arrests, there’s still plenty to suggest it’s largely the same old FIFA. And while it may not offer the joy of a beautiful run by Lionel Messi, the ongoing scandal adds another dose of drama to the spectacle, and a measure of shame.

The Yankees are considering buying back control of YES Network, according to sources. The Yankees currently own 20 percent of the network they founded in 2001. The 80 percent owned by 21st Century Fox is currently part of a multi-billion-dollar deal that is being competed for by Fox and Comcast. When the Yankees started the…Sports | New York Post

The Galaxy Note 9 isn’t even here yet, and there’s already talk about Samsung’s next Galaxy S model, the S10, which is supposed to bring over several design changes and improvements.

A new report says that the Galaxy S10 will pack a much faster Samsung-made chip, which is only to be expected. The Galaxy S9’s Exynos 9810 already proved that Samsung is getting better at designing its own processors, although the Snapdragon 845 version of the phone outclassed it in real-life tests, in spite of scoring worse in benchmarks.

“Unravel 2” was recently rated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which means we might get an official announcement very soon. It’s coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (sorry, Nintendo Switch owners) and, according to the ESRB’s description, it might have co-operative gameplay. “This is a side-scrolling platformer in which players control […]

Ali, born Cassius Clay, is best known today as one of the greatest athletes to ever step foot inside a boxing ring. But he was also an outspoken activist whose conscientious objection to serving in the Vietnam War would see him lose the heavyweight title and be effectively barred from his sport for over three years.

“I can’t take part in nothing,” Ali later said of his decision, “where I’d help the shooting of dark Asiatic people, who haven’t lynched me, deprived me of my freedom, justice and equality, or assassinated my leaders.”

In 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison and fined $ 10,000. However, he remained free while he appealed his case. The Supreme Court in 1971 unanimously overturned Ali’s conviction, which leaves unclear whether a pardon is necessary or even possible. “There is no conviction from which a pardon is needed,” the late Ali’s attorney said in a statement Friday.

Trump pardoning Ali would be a break from his posture toward modern-day athletes who make their political opinions known on and off the field. The President has been particularly critical of National Football League players who have knelt during the national anthem to protest racism and police violence. (Trump also recently pardoned late boxer Jack Johnson, who was convicted on what many saw as racist grounds.)

Trump himself never served in Vietnam, having received several deferments for education and medical reasons.

He would lose much more — the prime years of his career. In January 1964, Ali took the military qualifying examination. But his mental aptitude score was below the minimum requirement to be drafted. “I said I was the greatest, not the smartest,” he quipped. With the Vietnam War escalating, however, the military lowered the minimums. So in February of 1966, Ali was reclassified 1-A. His request for a deferment would be denied. When reporters hounded him for his reaction, Ali uttered words that would make him a national pariah, while at the same framed the debate about America’s role in the Vietnam conflict. “Man, I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong.”

Ali voiced his contempt for American policy before the anti-war movement gained steam. Newspaper editorial writers called Ali “the most disgusting character in memory to appear on the sports scene” and the “bum of all time.” The governor of Illinois labeled Ali as “disgusting,” while the governor of Maine said Ali “should be held in utter contempt by every patriotic American.” Ali next fight, against Ernie Terrell, was scheduled for Chicago in late March of 1966, but the Chicago Tribune urged the Illinois State Athletic Commission to cancel the bout. The state caved to the political pressure, and few other cities wanted any part of Ali: the Terrell fight was eventually moved to Toronto, though by this point Terrell himself backed out (a Canadian, George Chuvalo, filled in and actually went the distance with Ali before losing a one-sided decision). Media and politicians called for a boycott of the fight. “The heavyweight champion of the world turns my stomach,” said Frank Clark, a congressman from Pennsylvania.

By refusing to join the military, Ali was costing himself millions in endorsement money. Still, he didn’t flinch. “The white man want me hugging on a white women, or endorsing some whiskey, or some skin bleach, lightening the skin when I’m promoting black as best,” Ali told Sports Illustrated in 1966. “They want me advertising all this stuff that’d make me rich but hurt so many others. But by me sacrificing a little wealth I’m helping so many others. Little children can come by and meet the champ. Little kids in the alleys and slums of Florida and New York, they can come and see me where they never could walk up on Patterson and Liston. Can’t see them n—–s when they come to town! So the white man see the power in this. He see that I’m getting away with the Army backing offa me . . .They see who’s not flying the flag, not going in the Army; we get more respect.”

Ali filed for status as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, on the grounds that his religion prevented him from “participating in wars on the side of nonbelievers, and this is a Christian country, not a Muslim country. We are not, according to the Holy Qur’an, to even as much as aid in passing a cup of water to the wounded.” His conscientious objector claim bounced around the court system until April 28th, 1967, when Ali was to be inducted into the U.S. Army, in Houston. When the name “Cassius Marcellus Clay” was called out at the induction hearing, Ali refused to step forward. Ali was now facing a give-year prison sentence. He was immediately stripped of his titles and boxing licenses: Ali, 25, would not fight for another three-and-a-half years. “I can’t take part in nothing,” he’d later say, “where I’d help the shooting of dark Asiatic people, who haven’t lynched me, deprived me of my freedom, justice and equality, or assassinated my leaders.”

Exile – And Return

In June of 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion and given a five-year sentence. Though the appeals process kept him out of jail, no one let him back in the ring. “I canvassed 27 states tying to get him a license to fight,” Howard Conrad, one of Ali’s promoters, told TIME years later. “I even tried to set up a fight in a bullring across the border from San Diego, and they wouldn’t let him leave the country. Overnight he became a n—-r again. He threw his life away on one toss of the dice for something he believed in. Not many folks do that.”

While Ali was in exile, the man who struggled with reading, who finished ranked near the bottom of his high school class, made $ 2,500 a pop lecturing on college campuses (he also tried his hand at a Broadway musical, and received surprisingly positive reviews). “We’ve been brainwashed,” Ali said in one speech. “Everything good is supposed to be white. We look at Jesus, and we see a white with blond hair and blue eyes. Now, I’m sure there’s a heaven in the sky and colored folks die and go to heaven. Where are the colored angels? They must be in the kitchen preparing milk and honey. We look at Miss America, we see white. We look at Miss World, we see white. We look at Miss Universe, we see white. Even Tarzan, the king of the jungle in black Africa, he’s white. White Owl Cigars. White Swan soap. White Cloud tissue paper, White Rain hair rinse, White Tornado floor wax. All the good cowboys ride the white horses and wear white hats. Angel food cake is the white cake, but the devils food cake is chocolate. When are we going to wake up as a people and end the lie that white is better than black?”

As the 1960s drew to a close, Americans turned against the Vietnam War, elevating Ali’s popularity. And during an era when the government was giving false scores when it came to Vietnam, people knew that Ali was spouting truths, as he saw them. You might not agree with him, but you respected him. “I think Muhammad’s actions contributed enormously to the debate about whether the United States should be in Vietnam and galvanized some of his admirers to join the protests against the war for the first time,” the late Sen. Edward Kennedy told Hauser. “I respect the fact that he never backed down from his beliefs, that he took the consequences of refusing induction, and endured the loss of his title until after his conviction was reversed.” Ali told The Mirror newspaper of Great Britain, during a 2001 interview: “My refusal to go to Vietnam did not just help the black people, it helped more white people. More whites rebelled against Nam. It made me a hero to many white people as well as black people because I had the nerve to challenge the system, and all the people who hate injustice backed me for that.”

With Ali’s stature as a political and social force growing, the time was ripe to reassert his greatness in the ring. Since Georgia had no state boxing bureaucracy, Ali was able to secure his first fight in Atlanta, the deep South, against Jerry Quarry, a white man, on October 26, 1970. In the build up to the fight, Ali himself shied away from the anti-white rhetoric he sometimes employed at the height of his Nation of Islam allegiance. But he knew the fight had social consequences.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was hanging around Ali’s camp in suburban Atlanta the day of the fight, laid them out for author George Plimpton, who was on assignment for Sports Illustrated: “If Cassius loses tonight, [vice president Spiro] Agnew could hold a news conference tomorrow,” Jackson said. “Symbolically, it would suggest that the forces of blind patriotism are right, that dissent is wrong, that protest means you don’t love the country . . . They tried to railroad him. They refused to believe his testimony about his convictions and his religion. They wouldn’t let him practice his profession. They tried to break his spirit and his body. Martin Luther King has a song:‘Truth crushed to the earth will rise again.’ That’s the black ethos. With Cassius Clay all we had was the hope, the psychological longing for his return. And it happened! In Georgia, of all places, and against a white man . . .So there are tremendous social implications. It doesn’t mean Quarry is a villain. But the focus has to be on Clay. He’s a hero, and he carries the same mantle that Joe Louis did against Max Schmeling, or Jesse Owens when he ran in Hitler’s Berlin. Injustice! In Atlanta, I have never sensed such electricity, such expectation in the streets. For the downtrodden, they need the high example – that their representatives, the symbol of their own difficulties, will win. Is that illogical?”

Quarry was gone in the third round. Ali’s fight style changed when he returned to the ring. His hands got soft, so he had to numb them before he got in the ring. Ali developed some fat, but his muscles were broader as well. With the time off, his legs weakened a bit. So he was no longer quick enough to dodge most punches thrown at him. “When he lost his legs, he lost his first line of defense,” Ferdie Pacheco, Ali’s long-time fight doctor, said in Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times. “That was when he discovered something which was both very good and very bad. Very bad in that it led to the physical damage he suffered later in his career; very good in that is eventually got him back the championship. He discovered he could take a punch.”

While Ali was suspended, a young heavyweight from Philadelphia, like Ali a former Olympic champion, claimed Ali’s crown: Joe Frazier. Ali wanted a title bout with Smokin’ Joe. A federal court ruled that New York’s denial of a ring license to Ali was “arbitrary and unreasonable,” since Ali’s lawyers gave the court a list of ninety convicted murderers, rapists, sodomites, armed thieves, and other miscreants who had been allowed to fight in the state. So six weeks after the Quarry fight, Ali returned to New York City in December, and survived a punishing fight against Oscar Bonavena, whom he finally beat in the 15th round. The stage was now set: Ali-Frazier, March 8, 1971, New York City, Madison Square Garden, Broadway. Ali was about to embark on the second act of a fight career that, given its captivating effect on the world — from the Americas, to Africa to the furthest reaches of Asia — would somehow exceed the first.

Remember “Planet 9”? No I’m not talking about Pluto. That ship has sailed. I’m talking about the maybe-kinda-sorta hidden planet that might-kinda-maybe be lurking at the very distant edge of our Solar System. Scientists have been searching for it for a while now and come up with plenty of evidence to suggest that something is out there, but exactly what it is remains a mystery. Now, a new theory has emerged that explains away the presence of Planet 9 in favor of something entirely different.

Speaking at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Jacob Fleisig of the University of Colorado at Boulder presented a tantalizing new bit of research. Fleisig, an undergraduate in astrophysics, and his team of researchers suggest that perhaps a large singular body isn’t what is causing the symptoms of Planet 9, but instead a large grouping of asteroids that are pulling on neighboring bodies.

After collective dread that Warriors-Cavs IV might be a huge mismatch, Golden State’s needing lucky breaks (and controversy) to win Game 1 in OT means this could be a fascinating series.www.espn.com – TOP
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Ryanair prides itself on its budget flights to Europe, with its tagline being ‘Low fares. Made simple’.

When it was announced that the budget airline would be allowing passengers to take two carry-on items onboard, a bag for the overhead lockers as well as a handbag or rucksack, the love around Ryanair grew. And with the expensive luggage issue out of the way, we were all able to achieve low-cost travel – especially if we bypassed the extortionate onboard sandwiches.

It was devastating therefore when news broke earlier this year that our time was up, with the airline changing its hand luggage rules – and unsurprisingly not for the better.

The new Ryanair baggage policy is two-fold, with an obvious emphasis on getting people to pay to check in their luggage instead of packing light and just using the complimentary carry-on.

It seems however that Ryanair might be about to go back on its policy, set to review its luggage rules.

The January policy for check-in bags seemed positive at first, with the focus being cheaper and bigger. The size of check-in luggage has increased from 15kg to 20kg and the price has actually gone down from €35 to €25.

When it came to cabin bags however, it all went downhill, with new rules implemented at the beginning of the year.

‘Only customers who have purchased priority boarding, flexi plus, family plus or plus can bring both their bags on board,’ the airline announced. ‘Non priority customers can bring one small bag on board and put their normal bag in the hold at the boarding gate free of charge.’

They were quick to point out however that priority boarding only costs €5 at the time of boarding – or can be added for €6 up to one hour before the flight if you have the Ryanair app.

Now however, Ryanair might have to go back on its policy, after too many customers have been checking in bags at the gate.

After originally making the changes to prevent delays, the airline’s CEO Michael O’Leary has admitted that it is instead ‘creating a handling issue, particularly at peak periods.’

‘There are many flights where we’re now having to put 100, 120 gate bags free of charge into the hold,’ he explained. ‘If that continues to build it’s something we may have to look at again.’

It’s just as well, with the new policy unsurprisingly not going down well with the public, with passengers even taking to Twitter to voice their outrage.

There was a time when baggage was free so we all checked it in. Then they charged to check it in so we took it on board. But there’s not enough room so they charged for that too.So we go back to checking in our bags… but now we pay for it. See what they did?#Ryanair#Genius

‘There was a time when baggage was free so we all checked it in,’ tweeted Derek Jones (@Degsycom). ‘Then they charged to check it in so we took it on board. But there’s not enough room so they charged for that too. So we go back to checking in our bags… but now we pay for it. See what they did? #Ryanair #Genius.’

Ah yes today is the first day of Ryanair’s new bag rule- there’s gonna be some serious delays

‘Just had my bag taken off me for not coughing up more money to @ryanair under their new bag regime,’ live-tweeted @SanMiguelMalaga from the airport. ‘The Mr. Nice guy act was never gonna last. It didn’t suit them anyway.’

Apple and Samsung have been tied up in litigation for long enough to merit a mention in some of the later books in the Bible, but an end might finally be near. Today, the two companies are moving into closing arguments in a court case that’s settling the last detail in the case: How much money Samsung has to pay Apple.

An earlier trial already settled that yes, Samsung infringed on Apple’s fundamental right to the rounded corner and grid of icons, among other things. The billion-dollar question now is how much Samsung should pay in damages. Apple’s argument is that most of the profit from any device that had any infringing component should be payable, which works out to around $ 1 billion. Samsung, shockingly, thinks the number should be much smaller.

Google has a complicated relationship with music streaming. On the face of it, Google Play Music is a viable streaming alternative to Spotify or Apple Music, but the service has never quite received the resources that you might expect from Google. At the same time, YouTube also has its own “music” service, which puts a more traditional music player interface on top of YouTube’s videos.

The two have never quite worked together, which is why we weren’t surprised to see a report last week that suggested Google is planning to integrate all its music ambitions into one app, to be called YouTube Remix. Now, it appears as though Google is rolling out a significant redesign to the YouTube Music app for some users, which could well be the interface for YouTube Remix.

Thanks to modern technology and digital commerce, homeowners are acquiring increasingly large numbers of gadgets. It seems everyone has— or knows someone who has— a smartphone, bluetooth speaker, laptop, e-reader, and home security camera. But these popular items just skim the surface of the current tech market. Here are 10 strange and unusual gadgets available today, allowing you to automate your home and simplify your life.Bob Vila : Trusted Home Renovation & Repair Expert

This fall, Apple will launch three iPhone models, which we’ve been referring to as iPhone X successors when discussing rumors, as it’s not clear what Apple will call them. Reports say we’re looking at one LCD model and two OLED versions, with all of them expected to feature iPhone X-like designs, notch included. That’s not really helpful when it comes to product names.

The LCD version is expected to be the cheapest new phone this year, therefore the device will be more of an iPhone 8 successor. However, Apple can’t call it iPhone 8s, or — even worse — iPhone 9. As for the two OLED models, there’s no name that makes sense other than iPhone X and iPhone X Plus.

We’re one month away from the release of the next Star Wars movie. Solo: A Star Wars Story is the latest of the supposed standalone installments of the franchise, separate from the "Skywalker Saga" episodes released in alternate years. Solo focuses on the early years of Han Solo with a recast Alden Ehrenreich in the role made famous by Harrison Ford. We’ll now get to see what the "stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder" was like and what he was doing…

Roughly one in 10 women in the United States will experience depression. The consequences, however, may extend to their children, report researchers who found that a mother’s depression can negatively affect a child’s cognitive development up to the age of 16.Infant and Preschool Learning News — ScienceDaily

http://www.acrx.org -As millions of Americans strive to deal with the economic downturn,loss of jobs,foreclosures,high cost of gas,and the rising cost of prescription drug cost. Charles Myrick ,the President of American Consultants Rx, announced the re-release of the American Consultants Rx community service project which consist of millions of free discount prescription cards being donated to thousands of not for profits,hospitals,schools,churches,etc. in an effort to assist the uninsured,under insured,and seniors deal with the high cost of prescription drugs.-American Consultants Rx -Pharmacy Discount Network News

Increased time spent in front of a screen — in the form of computers, cell phones and tablets — might have contributed to a recent uptick in symptoms of depression and suicide-related behaviors and thoughts in American young people, especially girls.Teen Health News — ScienceDaily

In something of a modern twist on the fireside chats made popular by FDR in the 1930s and 1940s, it’s starting to look like former President Barack Obama will soon have his own show on Netflix. Or on Amazon. Or, perhaps, on whatever TV streaming service Apple eventually rolls out. In short, Obama now finds himself at the center of a bidding war between a number of media titans looking to enhance their catalog of original content.

While specific details are few and far in between, The New York Times reports that Obama’s new show will provide him with a “global platform” to talk to the American people about whatever he wants in a relaxed and unfiltered setting. Notably, the report claims that the show could focus on “inspirational stories” or, just as easily, hot takes on whatever happens to be the pertinent political issue of the week.

http://www.acrx.org -As millions of Americans strive to deal with the economic downturn,loss of jobs,foreclosures,high cost of gas,and the rising cost of prescription drug cost. Charles Myrick ,the President of American Consultants Rx, announced the re-release of the American Consultants Rx community service project which consist of millions of free discount prescription cards being donated to thousands of not for profits,hospitals,schools,churches,etc. in an effort to assist the uninsured,under insured,and seniors deal with the high cost of prescription drugs.-American Consultants Rx -Pharmacy Discount Network News

The annual Mobile World Congress starts on Monday, although plenty of mobile device makers will unveil their hot new products a day before that. The Galaxy S9 will be the star this Sunday, and throughout the show, but it’ll hardly be the only new Android device worth considering.

Google is already teasing that a bunch of new devices will be unveiled at the show. Don’t get too excited about an early Pixel 3 reveal, that’s hardly in the cards for MWC shows. But the phones Google is talking about may have a clear advantage over the Galaxy S9 when it comes to one crucial smartphone feature.

BEIRUT—The words “de-escalation zone” appear not to mean quite the same thing in Russian as they do in English.

That, at least, is a conclusion one might draw looking at the present scene in Syria’s East Ghouta, where the Russian air force has assisted its Syrian client regime in an enormous escalation of what was already an extremely high level of violence in the district on the eastern fringe of Damascus that has been under choking siege for five years, and was also the site of the infamous August 2013 Sarin gas attack that killed over 1,000 in a single morning.

The numbers speak for themselves: more than 250 people were killed by Syrian and Russian air bombardment, and over 1,000 wounded, on Monday and Tuesday alone, according to the Associated Press. At least four field hospitals have been rendered inoperative by apparently deliberate targeting, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, a relief organization with medical staff currently on the ground in Ghouta.

http://www.acrx.org -As millions of Americans strive to deal with the economic downturn,loss of jobs,foreclosures,high cost of gas,and the rising cost of prescription drug cost. Charles Myrick ,the President of American Consultants Rx, announced the re-release of the American Consultants Rx community service project which consist of millions of free discount prescription cards being donated to thousands of not for profits,hospitals,schools,churches,etc. in an effort to assist the uninsured,under insured,and seniors deal with the high cost of prescription drugs.-American Consultants Rx -Pharmacy Discount Network News

Apple may be the new kid on the block in the smart speaker market, but one of its competitors might soon attempt to steal its thunder with hardware of its own. This week, MusicAlly spotted several new job listings on Spotify’s website which suggest that the streaming service is ramping up efforts to launch its own devices in the near future.

“Spotify is on its way to creating its first physical products,” reads the description for an Operations Manager position, “and setting up an operational organisation for manufacturing, supply chain, sales & marketing.”

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — The Hungarian Olympic Committee will consider changing its selection procedures after skier Elizabeth Swaney’s halfpipe performance went viral, with many fans wondering why an athlete of such limited ability was competing at the Games. Swaney, born in the United States but representing Hungary in Pyeongchang, completed two runs in qualifying for…Sports | New York Post

4 messed up things about our food benefits programs you might not know about

Unless you’ve been enrolled in a food benefit program, it’s hard to get familiar with our current systems, which might be why some people think that the Trump administration’s “Blue Apron-style” food box program for SNAP recipients is a good idea. Spoiler: It’s really not. In fact, the box idea takes all the problems with our current food benefit systems and puts them in one place. It is not a good idea for so many reasons.

The administration wants to modify the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) so that people who get at least $ 90 a month in benefits — which accounts for about 80 percent of all SNAP recipients — would no longer get to choose their food. Instead, they’d get a “USDA Foods package” that would include “shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit and vegetables.” The boxes would not include fresh fruits or vegetables, and the details are still being worked out about how it would actually work, so nothing is even close to going into effect yet.

With SNAP, recipients get cards and are allowed to purchase whatever they want, as long as it meets the guidelines. This means fresh veggies and fish and meat, but also soda and snacks, which is why some people assume it’s a waste of taxpayer money and worry that the program contributes to bad health outcomes in lower income families. The Women Infant and Children program (WIC) is another program open to low income women and their kids by giving them coupons to buy formula and certain “healthy” foods, but that is also rife with catches and issues. Here are some of them.

1. It makes shopping all but impossible.

Like you want to know why I cannot fully commit myself to socialism it's the goddamned milk

Nobody, and I mean nobody, can drink that much fucking milk. But the WIC coupon tells you "want food? YOU GET MILK TOO ASSHOLE HOPE YOU LIKE IT"

SNAP feels like it brings with it a ton of choices, it’s still restricted in that you can’t get hot food or non-grocery items, so you’re out of luck if you need to pick up toilet paper and dinner. But at least there’s some freedom to choose ingredients for a meal that kids will actually eat and you know how to cook. WIC is so much worse.

A family gets vouchers that lets them buy certain things, but items are bundled together so that you can get a dozen (white, no brown or cage free) eggs and a gallon of milk, or some formula and peanut butter but not formula and meat (since breastfeeding baby households don’t qualify for meat). The fresh veggie coupons are bundled together, too, so you often have to buy your produce all at once. Once a month.

Although the program keeps people fed, it doesn’t make it easier or even all that much healthier. Ask anyone who’s had to shop with WIC about how much milk they had to end up with or how many times they had to run back to the aisle because they got the drinkable yogurt, which is not allowed, and not the kind in a cup, which is. It’s the same sort of thing that would likely happen to SNAP recipients who get the boxes, full of shelf stable milk and dry pasta, over and over again.

2. The restrictive programs cost more.

Food stamps are incredibly limited. What I had to work with was a bit over 100$ . No hot food. No prepared food. So even though rotisserie chickens are pretty similar in price to raw roaster chickens, they're off-limits.

Linnea E. Sallack, director of the W.I.C. program in the California Department of Health Services, told the New York Times, ”We consistently find that prices charged in W.I.C.-only stores are higher, on average, than in other stores. If food prices are high, for whatever reason, it means that our federal grant cannot go as far and cannot serve as many people.” So being restrictive ends up costing taxpayers more in the long run, instead of just giving someone an EBT card (which still has its limitations) to shop for that they want.

3. The restrictions further stigmatize hunger.

And frankly I would not have survived had I not already been on WIC. That is public humiliation par excellence, when you're telling the cashier how to process your coupons

The implication with all the restrictions is that poor people can’t be trusted to make decisions about what to feed their family. While it’s true that studies show there’s a link between obesity and heart disease and poverty, getting strict about what people can eat with their benefits or just sending them a pre-packaged box, isn’t going to help that. Neither is pretending that fraud is rampant within the SNAP system; it’s actually quite rare, around 2 percent. Most recipients, around 40 percent, also work and stay on the program for less than a year.

Also, in what universe is putting money on a charge card (the way SNAP works now) less cheap or less efficient than DELIVERING A BOX OF CANNED GOODS? https://t.co/6iJdGVQ74W

Although there are tons of good things about both programs — feeding people anything at all — the issue is not that people are making bad choices in the aisle. According to research, soda is the number one thing in SNAP recipients carts (WIC recipients can’t buy it).

But it’s the second most popular thing in the carts of people who aren’t on SNAP, so be careful about who you judge. Having to explain your vouchers to a cashier or feel guilty for having string cheese — the only thing your toddler will eat at the moment — instead of a bunch of bananas in your cart is humiliating. Hopping around stores so you can get groceries and laundry detergent is equally ridiculous. You can’t shame people out of poverty — you have to lift them up. Nutrition, health, and culinary education, and giving people the chance to buy what they like and want with their benefits, can do that more than mailing a box of government cheese and some canned string beans. No one wants to eat that. Especially not with a glass of low-fat milk.

4. We ignore that SNAP works.

SNAP generally works for its intended goal really well, which is why it’s infuriating that the Trump administration wants to get rid of it. Again, there are tons of restrictions we impose on people due to stigma with the SNAP program, but overall the EBT card system works. Consistent access to benefits can lift families out of poverty, lead to better health outcomes, and even help kids do better in school, which means better job choices later on and a chance to break the cycle. Funding SNAP and keeping the “social safety net” is how we eradicate food insecurity, not by boxing up a bunch of food lobbyists petitioned to get on the “acceptable” list and serving it up to people who might not like, want, or be able to eat it.

We’re used to seeing plenty of Easter Eggs liberally sprinkled throughout Marvel movies but on the face of it, there didn’t seem to be many in Black Panther. However, look closely at their latest offering about the Wakandan superhero, and you’ll find several details and references drawing from the comics and wider pop culture — as well as subtle nods to real-life events. We’ve rounded up the best spots.

James Bond

There are a handful of James Bond parallels in Black Panther. Not only in the espionage thriller aspect of the plotting, but also in the casino setting in Busan in North Korea. Plenty of Bond action has seen the inside of an opulent casino: lavish gambling dens are synonymous with 007.

But perhaps the most obvious homage paid is in Shuri’s similarity to Q and the entire sequence when T’Challa’s tech genius sister is showcasing her new gadgets to her brother. Firstly, we’re entering the innards of a mountain via a crater where Shuri’s lab is located — there are hints of SPECTRE’s volcano lair from You Only Live Twice about this. And then Shuri proceeds to demonstrate her new inventions to T’Challa one by one. There’s also plenty of humour here which would be at home in one of the Bond sequences it imitates.

Back to the Future

When Shuri is showing a new type of footwear to T’Challa during her gadget demo, she says they’re fully automated, “just like the ones in that American movie Baba used to watch.” This is a direct reference to Marty McFly’s futuristic Nike hi-tops seen in Back to the Future II.

Black Panther Party

Parts of the film are set in Oakland, California in 1992. Oakland is the birthplace of the Black Panther movement which began in 1966 and sought to address issues of inequality. The theme is of huge significance in Black Panther.

Panther Goddess Bast

The big panther statue, in the likeness of Bast.

During T’Chaka’s opening speech to his young son T’Challa, he explains the origins of Wakanda, voiceover flashback-style. He refers the Panther Goddess Bast, who is worshipped by Wakandans. According to comic lore, Bast has been worshipped since 10,000 BC by the area’s primitive tribes.

T’Chaka describes the moment a huge meteorite made of Vibranium crashed to the earth and landed in Wakanda.

It was Bast who helped create the first Black Panther after leading a warrior shaman from one of Wakanda’s five warring tribes to the heart-shaped herb – a plant affected by the properties of Vibranium. It bestowed on him superhuman capabilities. “The warrior became king and the first Black Panther,” says T’Chaka. The giant panther statue that has featured prominently in the film marketing and that also serves as a grand entrance to Wakanda is a likeness of Bast.

Bashenga

This king, the first Black Panther, referred to by T’Chaka in his speech, is likely to be the Bashenga in the comics. Although T’Chaka does not name him, his name does crop up later — the Shuri-run Wakanda Design Group is located inside Mount Bashenga.

Man-Ape and Ghekre

Winston Duke as M’Baku.

The leader of the Jabari tribe, M’Baku is referred to as ‘Gorilla’ at one point — a nod to his comic book status as Man Ape. ‘Gorilla’ references the White Gorilla Cult, an underground group whose help M’Baku sought in the comics to help him seize the throne. They worshipped Ghekre the Gorilla God — hence the name. The story in the comics goes that M’Baku re-establishes the outlawed White Gorilla Cult, killing and eating a rare white gorilla which gives him the strength of the species.

One funny moment in the film comes when M’Baku tells Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross to stop speaking lest he feed him to his men. He laughs and it’s apparent he’s joking when he reveals they’re all vegetarian. M’Baku’s clothes also incorporate elements of his comic-book Man Ape costume.

War Rhinos

During the final battle, T’Challa faces off against W’Kabi’s herd of war rhinos. This recalls the Black Panther comic mini-series of 1988 in which T’Challa fights a rhino during the opening panels of the first comic.

Stan Lee Cameo

The Marvel honcho appears in his usual cameo role, as a man at the casino table in Busan. He swipes Everett Ross’s chips while he’s otherwise engaged. “I think I’ll just take these; bring them over here and hold onto them for safekeeping,” he says.

White Wolf

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier.

During the second post-credits sequence, we see Bucky Barnes — aka the Winter Soldier — emerge from a tent in Wakanda, attended to by Shuri. Three children are interfering. They refer to Bucky as the White Wolf. In the comics, the White Wolf is a character who was adopted by King T’Chaka — T’Challa’s father — when his parents were killed in a plane crash. The White Wolf, also known as Hunter, was jealous of his adoptive brother because he knew he wouldn’t be the one to take the throne.

1401

1401 is the number on the door of the apartment that young Erik Killmonger lived in with his uncle in Oakland. It’s also the number of the suite occupied by Timely Publications — the original name of Marvel Publishing — in the Empire State Building after they moved there, following their growing success.

Black Panther is on wide release in the UK from February 13 and hits US screens on February 16.

Blake Lively dropped an impressive 61 pounds since having a baby in September 2016. “That’s a lot of weight, but she’s taken her time,” said Elizabeth Wagmeister. The trimmed-down “Gossip Girl” star posted a gym pic with fitness guru Don Saladino, who also trains with Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, for the “Deadpool” films.Page Six

You might not have noticed it, but there’s a renaissance of the ‘wholesome’ going on right now: from the meme pages on Facebook, reddit and Tumblr that are gaining massive followings on their respective platforms, to feel-good TV shows surging back into popularity around the world, for many, virtual toxicity has gone too far.

Nowhere else is this more pertinent than in gaming. Whether its players routinely getting banned on Overwatch for being abusive, countless users getting banished from PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for griefing – or even popular Twitch streamers being jettisoned from the platform for their abusive in-game behaviour, sadly, it’s a problem that many gamers have come to accept.

For many developers, the outlook is ‘If you’ve got an online game, you’re going to have toxicity’. Luckily though, one studio is determined to change that. Rare has always been a family-friendly, ostensibly positive developer, creating brands and games designed to bring a smile to your face. Catching the turning tide and keen to champion this new age of wholesomeness, Rare is working to make its newest project – the Windows exclusive Sea of Thieves – a safe haven for online players.

A RARE Sense of Community

Rare wants Sea Of Thieves to be about more than just combat.

“I genuinely think we’ve created a pleasant online world,” explains the game’s executive producer, Joe Neate, when we ask him what Rare has done to try and make this a nicer place for players to socialise. “We want to make Sea of Thieves a welcoming social multiplayer experience. We want it to be a game for everyone. Think about anything you know about pirate culture — from TV to books to films. We wanted to recreate that. Looking like the pirate you want to look like, where you battle against other ships, you explore looking for treasure. We wanted all that but with a fantastical element, and we wanted to do it in a way that could include everyone.”

To that end, the developers have made some very intentional choices in how your character is generated. When you first get to choosing your in-game avatar – the pirate you could well be playing as for the next 100+ hours — you don’t get a say in their ethnicity, their gender or their body type. Instead, you’re given a wheel of characters to choose from. If you don’t like the choices, you can refresh the wheel – take a look at the next set.

All the cosmetics and decorations you could want to make your pirate a reflection of yourself are rewarded in-game, via quest rewards and vendors. You can choose to show off your personality through incremental, horizontal progression — not through PvP or through having to prestige or anything like that. This means when you start the game, sure, you can regenerate the pool of seadogs enough and get that skinny white guy with a lil’ soulpatch if you want… but that’s not the intention.

Treachery for everyone

While Diversity may not actually be a wooden ship, it turns out you’ll be able to find it on one.

“We want you to see a pirate, take a good look at them and think ‘I want to tell stories with this character’”, continues Neate. “Pirates have always been known for being this eclectic bunch of misfits, and we love the idea of all these different crews running around, all with their different personalities.”

We noticed in our time with the game that this even played into how different players would act once their character was assigned: you’d see the burly pirates take on the role of cannoneers or diggers, hoisting loot out of the ground. Meanwhile, the weedier pirates would stand on the mast, sniping potshots at skeletons threatening the crew. The pirate with a hook for a hand – a commanding woman with a strong chin and billowing red hair – became the captain. It all just fit, and there was such a variety –- which was refreshing to see in an online game.

“We took out friendly fire very early on,” explains Craig Duncan, Rare studio head. “We found that teammates were killing each other to get better drops… that’s everything we DIDN’T want to come out of Sea of Thieves.”

Flintlocks and Friendship

Grog, a staple of every pirate’s diet.

In fact, this philosophy of pleasantness is present in the very DNA of the game. In Sea Of Thieves, one of the first functions you’re taught in the game is that you can select the ‘Make Friends’ emote and if someone does that back to you, you’re taken to the Xbox’s Add Friends tab.

“We’ve even gone as far as to ensure that other player’s names in the game aren’t displayed in red,” Duncan continues, “because even that feels aggressive, you know? Everything has been created to play into this accessible multiplayer experience. Even how the rewards are shared”

When Rare was developing Sea of Thieves, the studio looked at other titles and realised that a lot of the toxicity stemmed from the way the game rewarded player behaviour. In PUBG and DayZ, for example, the team noted it was simply every man for themselves – that the reward and the core gameplay loop was simply getting one over on other people.

The Pirate Code

While you can betray those around you, only players who work together will be able to haul back the larger bounties.

“In Sea of Thieves, we’ve designed the rewards in such a way that you have to work together if you want to succeed,” Duncan says. “Take the Strongholds, for example – we’ve intentionally filled those with more treasure than anyone ship can carry – does that mean that a few crews will work together to take down a stronghold, split the booty and go their separate ways? Or does it mean one crew is going to risk everything and make two trips? It gives you some really interesting situations.”

The Strongholds in question are like Nightfalls, if you want to make a Destiny comparison: harder, more brutal locations that are filled with more difficult enemies, but that are brimming with better rewards. So, whilst a single crew COULD take one of these on, the odds are very much stacked against them. The idea is that multiple crews — strangers and friends — will attempt to tackle these harder tasks together, working in unison to pilfer the AI’s hoarded loot.

Even down to the more emergent elements in the game – like the enigmatic kraken – players will have to occasionally rely on each other if they don’t all want to be brought down in a torrent of broken ship. We couldn’t get Rare to tell us exactly what the conditions are for making a Kraken appear, but the studio seems to suggest it’ll only appear when more than one ship is in an area… if you want to have the bragging rights to say you defeated this awesome creature, you can’t just lone wolf the game. You have to trust in your fellow pirates.

Sailing On Safer Seas

Sea Of Thieves is all about the excitement that comes from sharing an unpredictable world with other players.

“I love that we are the first game to really bring this [wholesome attitude] to a shared world adventure game,” says Neate, smiling. “Since day one we’ve been aiming to build a community around a new IP, and I think even now – as of the beta – you’re getting these wonderful stories of people meeting and having a great time in-game start to come out.

“You know, mitigating toxicity has been the goal for us, really, since day one. We looked at games like DayZ and EVE and thought ‘we want to bring those games to a more casual audience’. And if we wanted to do that, it was only right we made the space a nicer place to be in. So we’ve done everything we can to accommodate that… that’s why the game isn’t massively competitive – because when you make anything massively competitive people are gonna start being dicks to each other”.

The game has even poked fun at itself and its take on wholesomeness. There’s a Pirate Code in the game (which, in essence, just equates to Neate’s ever-so-aptly put ‘don’t be a dick’) and if someone is being a dick, then you can select the code from your inventory, whip it out, and show it to the offending player.

“That’s the Rare spirit,” laughs Duncan, reflecting on this mechanic, “that’s the sort of thing we hope players will be talking about in 10 years – the same way older players talk about Rare games now. That’s the sense of humour, the sense of fun, we want everyone to experience in Sea of Thieves.”

Mosquitoes are a year-round downside to living in subtropical MiamiABC News: Health

SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN:

http://www.acrx.org -As millions of Americans strive to deal with the economic downturn,loss of jobs,foreclosures,high cost of gas,and the rising cost of prescription drug cost. Charles Myrick ,the President of American Consultants Rx, announced the re-release of the American Consultants Rx community service project which consist of millions of free discount prescription cards being donated to thousands of not for profits,hospitals,schools,churches,etc. in an effort to assist the uninsured,under insured,and seniors deal with the high cost of prescription drugs.-American Consultants Rx -Pharmacy Discount Network News

Deadpool 2 dropped its first full-length trailer and there is a lot going on. We took our time and combed through the footage to see what exactly stood out, and we think this sequel has got quite a few surprises in store.

Who Are the Villains?

Who are the DMC?

We see some soldiers with the letters “DMC” printed on their various pieces of armor. It’s a little funny since this first trailer is called “Deadpool, Meet Cable” and those end up giving us the same initials. Could the DMC be an actual entity or are they just a stand-in for the real evil organization?

There are also a few shots of what seems to be an anti-mutant cult of sorts. Maybe this group is rounding up mutants and imprisoning them? It looks like Deadpool will either get sent to this prison or will have to infiltrate it for some as-yet-unknown purpose.

Deadpool’s Team

Is this the Six Pack?

We know that an X-Force movie is on the way, but do we get a sneak peek at some of those potential members in this trailer for Deadpool 2? There’s a sequence where we see some heroes suiting up for battle and there are a few shots that offer some hints.

That odd-looking double-bladed sword that gets sheathed? Could that be Shatterstar? He’s a character that was also created by Deadpool’s creator, Rob Liefeld. There’s also someone standing behind Domino in that helicopter shot. Is it possibly Solo, another mercenary character from the Marvel universe? And what about Terry Crews? This is the first we’ve seen of him. Is he playing Hammer or George Washington Bridge? If so, it looks like the Six Pack, a team of mercenaries from Marvel comics, might be Deadpool’s superhero team in the sequel.

Premium Cable

What powers does Cable have?

Obviously, this trailer takes a lot of time to focus on Cable, Deadpool’s consistent partner in a number of Marvel comic books. We get a few glimpses of the dystopian future that Cable comes from. Could this be the same future we saw in X-Men: Days of Future Past?

There is also a shot of Cable utilizing some kind of forcefield against those DMC guards. Is this some piece of future technology he uses? Or does he have some variant of telekinetic abilities like his mother, Jean Grey? Yup, Cable comes from a future where he is the son of Jean Grey and Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops. So, it’ll be interesting to see what mutant abilities he might showcase.

There are plenty other Easter eggs and story hints in the trailer, so make sure to check out our breakdown video above to get all the juicy details!

A recent study caused waves in the pet world when it suggested that dogs might have an intelligence edge over cats, but don’t jump to conclusions so quickly. Quite a few other studies have shown that dogs don’t have great mathematical abilities, especially in comparison to wolves. Meanwhile, other less traditionally “smart” animals like fish and frogs, according to new research, are able to count. So, too, can chickens and some monkeys, although it’s hard to count on the research that’s been done with house cats thus far.

Keep reading to learn more about which animals can count, but don’t bother your goldfish for help with your math homework just yet.

Counting Cats Is a Mystery

The jury is still out on felines, mainly because they are so difficult to control in a lab environment. Can cats count? As with most things, the answer might be only if they feel like it. Christian Agrillo of the University of Padova in Italy studies cat cognition. He told author of the book Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs, David Grimm, that many times “We had to say to the owners, ‘Sorry, we can’t use your cat. It’s not interested in the experiment’ … I can assure you that it’s easier to work with fish than cats.”

In Agrillo’s numerical competence study, which is basically the ability to distinguish small quantities from large ones, cats were tested by placing different amounts of black dots above desirable and undesirable objects, such as full or empty plates of food. Apparently when the cats did decide to cooperate, they were as good at mathematical tests as fish are (see the swimmers’ math assessment below). But these “good” trials were few and far between. Often the cats just walked away. Additionally, when Agrillo dug in deeper to see if the felines could truly distinguish the amount of dots (not just the overall “size” of the visual grouping), cats came up short. That said, he remains unconvinced that cats can’t count and thinks we should keep studying them.

Additionally, researchers also suspect cats may have an abstract conception of numbers. This assumption is because mother cats often notice when a kitten is missing and will go look for it. Accordingly, it has been suggested that cats may be able to count up to six or seven, though three or four is more likely.

Dogs Can’t Count, but Wolves Can

Humans may have gained a best friend when wolves were domesticated some 19,000 years ago, but dogs seem to have lost some special cognitive abilities in the trade off. According to a 2014 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, wolves consistently outperformed domestic dogs when selecting cans filled with pieces of cheese. Both groups of animals’ counting abilities were tested by showing them the cheese being dropped into cans, and then watching to see if they selected the cans with the most cheese. Wolves proved more adept at this every time, and researchers don’t believe it has to do with scent.

“Canines have an extraordinary sense of smell compared to humans, which could theoretically allow them to discriminate at least quantities of lower ratios based on olfaction,” said Dr. Friederike Range, one of the authors of the study from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. “However, there is little indication that canines would rely on their olfactory cues in such a situation if not specifically trained to do so. Moreover, in a study comparing the performance of our wolves and dogs in a local enhancement task, we found that, while both species primarily relied on visual information, the dogs actually used their sense of smell more than the wolves. Finally, during our experiment, we never cleaned the tubes between trials or animals, which likely lead to an overall strong cheesy smell in both tubes.”

Range did, however, mention wolves have better eyesight than dogs which could have given them a leg up.

Monkeys Do Math

A January 2018 study involving rhesus macaque monkeys (and crows), showed that “after training, rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and carrion crows (Corvus corone) proficiently discriminate the absolute values of visual numerosities from 1 to 5 and even from 1 to 30 items,” writes Andreas Nieder. In fact, the primates exhibited the ability to identify visual patterns from 1-9, as well as auditory instances such as hearing a specific sound three times. Previous studies have shown that other primates, like chimpanzees, can also do fairly simple math.

Fish Learn to Count in Schools

Fish don’t get a lot of credit for intelligence in the pet world, so perhaps it would most surprise you to learn of our aquatic friends’ unique ability to differentiate when it comes to numbers and sizes. There have been a slew of studies with different species of fish, but a 2011 study conducted by Brian Butterworth, Laura Piffer and the aforementioned cat researcher Christian Agrillo looked at numerical system capabilities in guppies. They somehow managed (even they don’t quite understand how the fish do it!) to get 200 guppies to decide which shoal they wanted to be in according to size. You see, guppies are known to prefer larger shoals. But to accurately determine whether the fish really were counting, the team got the guppies to judge shoal size one fish at a time.

Frogs Are Arithmetic Friendly

If you find potential partners who are good at math a turn-on, you’re not alone. Female frogs count the number of pulses in a male frog’s croak. They can do this for “phrases” up to 10 notes long, says Butterworth. “The way you can identify your species of frog is the number of pulses in their croak,” he told the BBC. Much like a voice can be attractive or a deal-breaker in human relationships, lady frogs assess male croaks for duration and volume as a measure of their potential mate’s worth. It is proposed that male frogs can count up to 4 – 6 “chucks” (or distinct croaks) in their mating calls.

Do Count Your Chickens

Chickens, geese, hens, crows — despite what you may have heard, they’re all quite smart as far as animals go. In fact, a bunch of papers published over the past ten years by Rosa Rugani at the University of Padova have shown that newly hatched chicks and adult chickens can absolutely count and do basic arithmetic. A previous study, conducted in 2005 by Siobhan Abeyesinghe at the University of Bristol in the U.K., showed that when chickens were presented with two keys, one that gave brief access to food and another that gave prolonged access, the birds were much more likely to peck at the latter key which gave a bigger food reward. Chickens have been able to out-perform toddlers in math tests, keeping track mentally of additions and subtractions when a game was shuffled around.

Can’t get enough of cats, dogs and other furry friends? Click here to get the cutest pet news and photos delivered directly to your inbox.

The aforementioned species are not the only ones in the animal kingdom who can count. Elephants, lions, hyenas, horses, zebrafish, mosquitoes and many more have demonstrated math abilities, according to a recent New York Times article. As researcher Brian Butterworth noted, the ability to count must be a basic life skill for more than just humans. “It’s as useful to them as it is to us,” he told the BBC.

Neither did we — until we saw two photos shared to Reddit by user “bekris” (spotted by Upload VR) of what Bekris claims is the Oculus Go’s developer kit. We’ll be honest, this doesn’t look like developer kit packaging; it totally looks like retail packaging.

Bekris claims the photos were tweeted by Jesper Gaarsdal, software engineer at Unity Studios, and by the Twitter account of Unity Studios itself. Both tweets were removed shortly after being posted.

If the photo is legitimate, the retail release of the first ever phone-free standalone VR device could be just around the corner. And the first buyers could have over 1000 apps, games, and movies at their fingertips. Read more…

It’s pretty obvious that pregnant Khloe Kardashian would just love to have her baby daddy Tristan Thompson closer to her. This could be possible if he played for the NBA nearby, but for the moment he is still with the […]Celebrity Insider

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “the United States enjoys one of the world’s most reliable and safest supplies of drinking water.” Occasionally, however, homeowners may encounter a bitter taste or off-putting smell that makes them question their H20. Before switching to bottled beverages, check out these 9 signs that your tap water could use a little TLC, and learn how to easily and inexpensively address many of these issues.Bob Vila : Trusted Home Renovation & Repair Expert

Coca-Cola last week announced a major revamp of Diet Coke, including skinny cans and a variety of new fruit flavors. Diet Coke is still a pillar of Coke’s business, but the revamp comes as it is facing dramatic headwinds – according to one analysis, Diet Coke sales were down a staggering 6% in just the last three months of 2017.

In part, Diet Coke has been hit by the broader, steady decline in soda consumption. According to an eye-opening new story in The Atlantic, that consumption peaked in the mid-2000s. Back then, Americans consumed, on average, a remarkable half-liter of soda per day. Those levels are down by nearly half after more than a decade of decline, and are projected to keep dropping.

The decline of Diet Coke, though, has been faster than that of any other Coke beverage. According to Atlantic writer Derek Thompson, part of that involves dramatically shifting perceptions of what qualifies as healthy. A decade ago, the fact that Diet Coke has no sugar or calories made it seem, for many, like a healthy choice.

But growing skepticism about artificial sweeteners — including evidence that they may still cause weight gain — means the most health-conscious consumers are shying away. Even the new Diet Coke flavors have invited scrutiny over the use of a newer artificial sweetener, known as Ace-K. That skepticism of all things artificial may explain why sales of full-sugar Coke are actually still growing.

The fate of Diet Coke, and even of soda, doesn’t entirely indicate the future of the Coca-Cola company, which has aggressively diversified into growing categories like juices, energy drinks and bottled water. Nonetheless, the hit to one of Coke’s core products may be showing — Coke’s growth was flat for much of 2017.

http://www.acrx.org -As millions of Americans strive to deal with the economic downturn,loss of jobs,foreclosures,high cost of gas,and the rising cost of prescription drug cost. Charles Myrick ,the President of American Consultants Rx, announced the re-release of the American Consultants Rx community service project which consist of millions of free discount prescription cards being donated to thousands of not for profits,hospitals,schools,churches,etc. in an effort to assist the uninsured,under insured,and seniors deal with the high cost of prescription drugs.-American Consultants Rx -Pharmacy Discount Network News

There are places you expect mold growth, like on your shower liner or in the forgotten corner of your basement. But there are other spots prone to growth that many people overlook until it’s a major problem. Keep these places in mind to protect your home, and yourself, from the potential dangers of mold.

The design of the Galaxy S9 might be “boring,” but don’t let that fool you into thinking the phone won’t deliver a superior user experience. Like any other Galaxy S update, the S9 will introduce new hardware, including powerful new processors ready to deliver several new features.

Samsung and Qualcomm already introduced the Exynos 9810 and Snapdragon 845, respectively, that will power the S9 and S9+ this year, but the camera will also get a major upgrade, as the S9 might feature a “reimagined” camera.

Lindsay Weiss

I’ve spent decades making a singular New Year’s resolution, some more carefully thought than others, and have kept roughly half of them. In most schools, that 50 percent would earn me a big, fat F but in the school of New Year’s Resolutions…apparently I’m a friggin’ rock star.

My secret is simple. You have to be specific. Detailed. Avoid generalizations. Aim for the achievable and move up from there. It is so much easier to nail your resolution and expand on it than it is to fail.

Let’s take a look at one of the most common resolutions and I’ll edit it show you what I mean.

Resolution: GET IN SHAPE!

This one is waaaaaaaay too broad; it’s no wonder only 8 percent of people achieve it. First, it has to be broken down into two separate things, exercise and diet, and then made even more specific from there.

1. Exercise: How much? What type? For how long? Many of my resolutions have been exercise related, but I have much more success when my resolution is more specific and attainable. For example (pick one):
• Get 10,000 steps per day
• Do 20 push-ups and 50 sit-ups every single day
• Get heart rate up to 130 for 20 minutes, four days per week
• Attend boxing class three days per week

2. Diet: Will you follow a specific plan? Just cut out certain foods? Count calories? Cheat days? Some examples of diet-related resolutions that are more specific and achievable (pick one):
• Cut out refined/processed foods for lunch and dinner; Saturdays are free days
• Ensure dinner plate is half full of veggies, one quarter full of protein and one quarter full of starch. Saturdays are free days
• Follow the Weight Watchers Freestyle plan until goal weight of XXX is achieved; attend weekly meetings
• No carb lunches during the work week

These are all smaller goals, but once you’ve achieved one you’ll be empowered and can raise your goal from there. Small victories!

Here are a few of the resolutions I considered for this year. I try to rotate resolutions under the umbrellas of Mind, Body and Soul because it’s an easy framework to use.

(Note: most people, especially busy moms, don’t choose a resolution that falls in the “mind” category – because, frankly, we’re lucky to get a shower, much less take a class at the local community college. But it has become top of mind (heh, heh) for me lately because Alzheimer’s runs in my family and I want to do everything I can to keep all my wires firing. So don’t laugh when you see the resolutions I considered…)

BODY: Do 20 push-ups, 75 sit-ups, and one three-minute plank every day

BODY: Eat a green salad five days per week, light dressing

SOUL: Re-start neighborhood book club (which is really wine night where we occasionally talk about books)

SOUL: Take a new friend to lunch once per month

Do you see what I mean by simple and specific? These are goals. These are attainable. These are what resolutions should be. Now these may not be applicable to you AT ALL, but substitute in something that is. And then go out and nail it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

One quick caveat – these are simple enough that it’s tempting to take on more than one. Don’t do it. Pick one that you can 100 percent succeed with, and feel free to dabble with others along the way, but make sure you’re always true to your one. If in June you’re killin’ it, throw in another. But leave yourself room for life, kids, school, work, stress and chaos to happen – and I firmly believe that sticking with one resolution to start with does that.

Wanna know which one I chose? It’s the crossword puzzle/Sudoku. I’m serious about keeping the Alzheimer’s away

At the end of 2016, we naively hoped 2017 would be better. Instead, 2017 turned out to be so bad that we’re basically dreading 2018. Because if there’s one thing we learned this year, it’s that no matter how awful things get, they can still get worse.

If you thought holiday shopping was hell, wait until you try to return stuff. Picky gift recipients could be faced with lengthy waits next week as they queue up to return and exchange unwanted Christmas loot, industry experts warn. That’s because most retailers will be woefully understaffed — just like they were during the holiday…Business | New York Post

There are currently many, many people trying to sue the pants off Apple. But commercial law experts predict that if the company ends up on trial, it may come out on top.

Before we get too deep into this, it’s important to understand the backstory: On Dec. 20, Apple confirmed a rumor that it does, in fact, slow down iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns from old, unstable batteries.

Two days later, lawsuits were filed in California and Illinois. Over the next few weeks, civil and criminal charges piled on, from Israel, Europe, Asia, New York, California, and Texas9to5Mac reports that the company faces over 15 class-action lawsuits as of today. Read more…

Joyce Slaton

posted in Products

Tweens are tough to shop for. If you guess even a little too young, you horrify them and waste your money (and make them think you’re out of it); skew too old and you may irritate parents. Meanwhile, tweens aren’t really mature enough to have developed the kinds of personal interests and hobbies that make gift-giving easier.

So, it’s a gift card then? Well, maybe — tweens and teens are often inordinately happy to get free money to spend just as they like. But if you’d prefer to have something tangible wrapped and under the tree, we quizzed the tween moms we know on what’s cool for tweens this year. First up: saying “cool” is not cool.

1. Kobra LED Color-Changing Lightbulb with Remote: Tweens often show an interest in changing their rooms right about now, part of their growing independence and individuality. This inexpensive little gadget allows them to change up their mood lighting instantly. I bought this for my own daughter three years ago — the remote control hasn’t gotten lost, the batteries haven’t run out, the lightbulb is still working, and she uses it all the time for fun and photo special-effects. (Amazon, $ 13.99)

2. PopSocket: Not every tween has a smart phone yet, and it is frequently a point of contention between kids and parents, so if you don’t know for sure your tween has a phone, don’t get them this gift — it’s exactly the kind of “stop rushing us!” gift that could really annoy their parents. But if said tween does have a phone, they almost definitely use it for lots of selfies and showing videos to their friends, in which case, this little stick-on handle makes the phone easier to hold (and harder to drop). (Amazon, $ 9.99)

3. Fujifilm Instax Mini 9: Who could have predicted that instant photos would come back in style? These little Polaroid-style cameras are very hot with tweens and teens right now, who take them to parties and events, snap photos of each other, swap, and post them in lockers or their bedroom walls. This snappy model comes in ice blue (pictured), cobalt blue, green, pink, and white. (Amazon, $ 59)

4. Illuminated Apparel T-Shirt: Use light to draw designs on the glow-in-the-dark panel on the front of this black T-shirt, and when you flip off the lights, fun ensues. You can use a flashlight, any smart phone light, a laser pointer, or the included UV keyring light to make the designs; it fades out after about 5 minutes, so the next kid can take a turn. Shirts are available in sizes 9-11 and 12-14. (Amazon, $ 24)

5. Homecube Touch Lamp: Another easy-to-incorporate and versatile lighting option for a tween’s room, this cool lamp works via touch — touch it to turn it on and off, dim the light from bright to soft, or cycle through colors until the right one pops up (or set the lamp to automatically change from color to color, with 256 possibilities). The lamp plugs into the wall, or can be used without its plug when it’s charged up — and it has a hook in it, so you can take it anywhere in the house, use it camping, light up play forts, etc. etc. (Amazon, $ 21.99)

6. Mini LED Cinema Light Box: Let your tween express themself in letters and light. This light box is about the size of a piece of notebook paper, and can be hung on the wall or set on a table. It takes 6 AA batteries (not included, so buy them if you’re going to gift this), and comes with 345 letters, numbers, and symbols to let them say exactly what they need. (Amazon, $ 35.99)

7. Photo Clips String Lights: If your tween already has an instant camera (or you’re getting it for them), this makes a great add-on: a string of lights with clips that will hold photos or artwork. Tweens and teens love making their room deeply individual; displaying and changing out their photos is a big part of that. (Amazon, $ 12.99)

8. Wacom Intuos Draw Tablet: It’s on the pricey side, but if you have a budding digital artist at home, Wacom makes drawing tablets that are arguably the best on the market, and this is an entry-level model. It works for both Macs and PCs, and comes with its own drawing pen that’s responsive to pressure just like a real pen: bear down and you get a thick line, sketch lightly for a wispy line. (Amazon, $ 69.95)

9. Copic Markers 6-piece Sketch Set: Thirty bucks for a set of markers, really? Yes! If you’ve never used Copic markers before and you have a young artist in the family, you’re all in for a treat. The markers use different kinds of inks than the ones in typical markers — alcohol-based, not water-based, so they’re not for little kids — and the ink goes on more like paint, allowing artists to create simply startling effects that aren’t possible with other types of markers. This Sketch set is good for beginners. (Amazon, $ 32.27)

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program which allows us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

While President Trump’s Department of Justice sues to block AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner, it’s also eyeing a clampdown on Comcast. Federal law enforcement is weighing an extension of a six-year-old probationary period over Comcast’s merger with NBCUniversal, concerned that the Philadelphia-based cable giant has been playing fast and loose with competition rules, sources told…Media | New York Post

A tweet from Brielle Biermann had Kim Zolciak’s fans in a frenzy on November 22! She wrote that her famous mom is pregnant! ‘OMG!!! I’m so excited my mom is PREGNANT with baby number 7!!!!’Brielle tweeted in the early hours […]Celebrity Insider

Even if you have only cursory knowledge of the planets in our Solar System, you know that Earth is on the smaller end of the spectrum in terms of mass. Mercury and Mars are even smaller, but Saturn and the mighty Jupiter, of course, are on the other end of the spectrum. But in the…Tech | New York Post

Many responded to the allegations, including Netflix and producers at Media Rights Capital, explaining that they were “deeply troubled” by the story. Shortly thereafter, production on the show was suspended, a halt that will reportedly last for two weeks (if not longer) to give the writers adequate time to make changes to the season and potentially cut Spacey’s manipulative politician Frank Underwood out altogether. And, though unlikely, a complete shutdown could happen.

About that rewrite, the question is: How would House of Cards write Spacey out?

That, of course, is unknown at this point. But producers are apparently considering killing off the character and focusing on his wife/fellow politician, Claire (Robin Wright), instead, according to Variety. And that wouldn’t be unthinkable in any scenario (and warning, some spoilers follow), considering the show’s history: Frank dies in the Michael Dobbs book that the show is inspired by.

Blake Shelton divorced Miranda Lambert back in 2015. It seems that their drama may not have ended yet because a source now claims that Miranda is interfering with Shelton’s romance with Gwen Stefani. Just surprised our friends at @todayshow.. […]Celebrity Insider

LOS ANGELES (AP) When Yasiel Puig licks his bats , Dodger Stadium laughs. When he stands at the plate admiring a base hit , the fans’ initial cheers hilariously morph into a group exhortation to ”Go! Go!” – which he eventually does.

http://www.acrx.org -As millions of Americans strive to deal with the economic downturn,loss of jobs,foreclosures,high cost of gas,and the rising cost of prescription drug cost. Charles Myrick ,the President of American Consultants Rx, announced the re-release of the American Consultants Rx community service project which consist of millions of free discount prescription cards being donated to thousands of not for profits,hospitals,schools,churches,etc. in an effort to assist the uninsured,under insured,and seniors deal with the high cost of prescription drugs.-American Consultants Rx -Pharmacy Discount Network News

Apparently Lenny Kravitz’s star power burns brighter than the City of Lights. Not one but two email reminders were sent to guests invited to Saint Laurent’s Paris Fashion Week show, instructing them to arrive no later than 7:45 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. If any attendee — no matter how well-heeled — arrived a…Fashion | New York Post

Everyone is still coming to grips with the implications of iPhone X users having to rely on their face to unlock the device once Apple’s new top-of-the-line model starts shipping in November. Apple has left questions unanswered about how the feature will work, since that pricey new version of the iPhone will be all screen…Tech | New York Post

http://www.acrx.org -As millions of Americans strive to deal with the economic downturn,loss of jobs,foreclosures,high cost of gas,and the rising cost of prescription drug cost. Charles Myrick ,the President of American Consultants Rx, announced the re-release of the American Consultants Rx community service project which consist of millions of free discount prescription cards being donated to thousands of not for profits,hospitals,schools,churches,etc. in an effort to assist the uninsured,under insured,and seniors deal with the high cost of prescription drugs.-American Consultants Rx -Pharmacy Discount Network News

Apple will likely advertise the iPhone 8 as the all-screen iPhone you’ve been waiting for, but the device will still feature an unsightly notch at the top that will house all of the front elements that can’t be hidden under the display. However, a day before Apple launches the iPhone 8 and all the other goodies it prepared for this year’s iPhone event, Xiaomi will hold an event in China to introduce an all-screen handset of its own.

In July we told you that popular singer and songwriter Terius “The-Dream” Nash and wife Lalonne were expecting their third child together. The new addition would be the eighth child for the “Shawty Is a 10” crooner. Martinez announced the news when she was already 35 weeks: Fast forward a few weeks and the baby […]

NEW YORK (AP) Two years ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger acknowledged that ESPN, long a major profit center for Disney, was shedding subscribers. On Tuesday, Disney announced a plan intended to start bolstering ESPN’s fortunes.

Ever wonder what Hamilton would look like on a completely different set In a recent interview with Variety, Hamilton director Thomas Kail and scenic designer David Korins chatted about how they landed on the final concept for his design.BroadwayWorld.com Featured Content

Jon Snow remained adamant in his refusal to bend the knee to Daenerys Targaryen in Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones. But by the end of their conversation in the caves of Dragonstone, it seemed as though her argument may have struck a chord with him.

“I will fight for you. I will fight for the North. When you bend the knee,” she told Jon, prompting him to insist that his people wouldn’t accept a southern ruler. “They will if their king does. They chose you to lead them. They chose you to protect them. Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?”

As some fans pointed out, this final question is word for word what Jon asked Mance Rayder before the King Beyond the Wall was put to death for refusing to bend the knee to Stannis Baratheon.

“Pride? F—k my pride. This isn’t about that,” Mance told him. They followed me because they respected me, because they believed in me. The moment I kneel for a southern king that’s all gone.”

Despite Mance’s best intentions, he still ended up dead, forcing Jon to take on the responsibility of attempting to rescue the Wildlings at Hardhome. It was there he witnessed firsthand how a king’s refusal to kneel can doom his people. This callback seems to indicate that Jon might agree to support Dany’s claim to the throne in exchange for her help defeating the army of the dead.

“Jon asked Mance to kneel for Stannis at Castle Black, so that his people can be saved. Mance says his people won’t follow him if he does. Jon asks the same line,” wrote Reddit user xIdkTbhx. “Such a great parallel. Seeing Jon realise that the position he is in, is just like the position Mance was in, exhibits the development of Jon’s character so well.”

Of course, if Jon just went ahead and married Daenerys, maybe he wouldn’t have to bend the knee at all.

“Eastwatch,” the fifth episode of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season, airs Aug. 13 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

These days on Game of Thrones, Bronn of the Blackwater isn’t the only one thinking about gold in the midst of war: the cost of doing battle has become a major theme this season, as Cersei contemplates hiring the Golden Company to assist the Lannisters in the wars to come.

As is so often the case in the fantasy realm of Westeros, the soldiers of fortune known in the show’s universe as “sellswords” have parallels in real history — this time in the long story of mercenaries, professional fighters who are employed for personal profit on behalf of an army that is not their own. And that history may provide fans with a hint about what to expect in the context of the show’s remaining episodes.

The first sign of mercenaries in action can be found at a 15th century BCE battle in which Egypt successfully invaded Syria, according to Alan Axelrod’s book on the subject, Mercenaries. Due to evidence that the Egyptian army was larger than it should have been, considering the civilization’s population at that time, experts believe that it must have also included troops who’d be brought in for the express purpose of the fight.

Use of mercenaries continued in the centuries that followed — the Greeks in particular earned a reputation as ancient soldiers of fortune, with different areas boasting specialties with different types of warfare — but by the Middle Ages, the period in which Thrones so often finds its parallels, Europe’s idea of what it meant to be a mercenary shifted. Under the feudal system, those who owed a military duty to a local lord or monarch would traditionally be bound to serve for a set period of time in limited engagements. Rulers were generally not strong or centralized enough to support a large number of full-time soldiers.

However, as long-standing conflicts like the Hundred Years’ War engulfed Europe, those part-time soldiers who fought because it was their duty would no longer cut it. Because the size of an army could be a particularly decisive matter in an era of close-fought infantry combat, it made sense to hire troops to bump up one’s numbers as needed. And, as currency-based economies became more common and knights were often allowed to pay a fee known as scutage in order to get out of time for which they were bound to serve fighting, lords could afford to do so. As those paid troops served for longer and longer periods, they became professional full-time fighters.

Axelrod writes of one particularly notable group of mercenaries, known as the Great Company, which he describes as “Europe’s first large, tightly organized, well-armed, and highly disciplined mercenary group.” Though “companies” had typically brought together a few dozen to a hundred men who could be hired as needed, the 14th century saw the introduction of the Great Company, to which tens of thousands of men would at one point belong. But the Great Company, later known as the Grand Company, also illustrated a problem with hiring mercenaries: “They were easy to hire,” Axelrod writes, “but not so easy to control, let alone disband or dismiss, once their job was done. While it was a great boon to have well-trained, well-armed men in one’s service, it could prove a great disaster to have these same men in one’s midst, armed, trained, and without a shred of loyalty to a former (or even current) employer.”

As James C. Bradford’s International Encyclopedia of Military Historyexplains, men who earned their livings fighting had to do something when a war ended, and that often meant pillaging the areas in which they ended up. During the period of the Hundred Years’ War, mercenary soldiers became virtually ubiquitous, and so did the chaos they could cause as they roamed around in groups known as “free companies” between engagements. Italian states became well known for their mercenary armies — captains called condottieri became influential figures who “organized their units as closed corporations that operated independently of the state,” Bradford’s Encyclopediaadds — but even there the mercenaries got a bad reputation. As Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in his 16th-century The Prince:

Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious, and without discipline, unfaithful, valiant before friends, cowardly before enemies; they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men, and destruction is deferred only so long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the enemy. The fact is, they have no other attraction or reason for keeping the field than a trifle of stipend, which is not sufficient to make them willing to die for you.

In other words, the ruler whose army comprises mercenaries may be at some disadvantage, no matter those hired hands’ skill, compared to the ruler whose forces fight out of duty or devotion. That’s a lesson Cersei might want to keep in mind when she comes up against Daenerys Targaryen, whose forces (as viewers were reminded on Sunday) fight for her because they choose to do so.

In real history, eventually the professionalization of war went beyond the scope of mercenaries. Nation-states became more powerful and the people who used to hire those soldiers began to train and keep their own standing armies, starting in particular with the Swiss in the 14th century. Those soldiers were paid regular salaries, which meant they were more loyal, stable and easy to summon — and less likely to turn around and terrorize the countryside as soon as the battle was won. (In some cases, those professional armies were still loaned out for payment, but the money would go to the prince in charge rather than to individual soldiers; the Hessians of the American Revolution used a system like that.)

But, while the mercenary may be most readily associated with bygone eras, the idea of selling one’s sword has continued well into the modern age. It was in 1989 that the United Nations created the International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, recognizing that their use often went hand-in-hand with violations of international law. The treaty, to which the U.S. is not a signatory, entered into force in 2001.

Elon Musk famously equated Artifical Intelligence with “summoning the demon” and sounds the alarm that AI is advancing faster than anyone realizes, posing an existential threat to humanity. Stephen Hawking has warned that AI could take off and leave the human race, limited by evolution’s slow pace, in the dust. Bill Gates counts himself in…Tech | New York Post

Cities across the country have new, vacant apartment buildings and not enough people to fill them yet — so some enterprising startups are transforming those empty units into short-term rentals that resemble a hybrid of Airbnb and hotels.

New websites aim to provide a hotel experience with Airbnb-style booking

Whyhotel.com furnishes these empty building units and rents them out Airbnb-style until the building finds permanent tenants. The site is not currently open for reservations, but according to the Wall Street Journal, “WhyHotel piloted its concept with 50 empty units in a Pentagon City, Virginia, building owned by Vornado Realty Trust.” The pilot test from January 2017 through May 2017 reportedly went well, so Whyhotel may soon be expanding to your next destination.

Yourent.com seems to be the most advanced company doing this right now. They have properties available for rent in Miami, Florida, Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee. The units are designed to look like hotels and have most of the amenities you would find at one.

Pillow.com is another service that’s still in development. The company aims to work with building owners and tenants to safely rent out apartments with fees that both parties can agree to. The company lists the rentals on other sites like Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway, so you may see more options available through your preferred booking site next time you travel!

As a nurse practitioner and certified lactation consultant, I see hundreds of breastfeeding moms each year. From newbies to pros, all moms fortunate enough to be able to breastfeed have nearly identical questions about the symbiotic relationship between their babes and breasts.

Every woman has the right to feed her baby anyplace she has a right to be. The question is not whether you should feed in public, it is more how you can do it if you want to be discreet. The bottom line is you need to feed your child. Your baby’s appetite will not wait for you to get your shopping done. It will not wait for you to finish depositing your check at the bank. It will not wait for you to be alone in some remote location far away from sensitive eyes.

Be it breasts, bottle, or formula, your child needs to eat and you should feel empowered as a woman and a mother to do just that. There are many wonderful options for covering yourself and your little one while nursing. I always suggest using a cover-up that allows you to see your baby; this helps increase bonding time and ensuring proper latch. You can also try using a nursing scarf. It’s a fashionable and functional option for moms on the go.

Bonding with baby

It’s normal for your baby to want to feed 10-12 times per day and have cluster feeds where they seem to feed nonstop for several hours. These frequent feeds are telling your body how much milk to make. This frequency also has another important function — bonding. It’s important time you’re getting with your baby, while learning his or her habits and nonverbal signals. The benefits are nearly endless. Some studies have shown that the time spent bonding while breastfeeding lowers your risk of postpartum depression.

Mama needs a drink (or two)

Even though I hear more questions about proper diet, lately, I’ve heard some alcohol-related questions. It’s best to avoid drinking alcohol while breastfeeding because it can increase health risks for your baby and decrease milk production. I’m realistic though. You just went 40 weeks without drinking and that glass of white wine looks divine! If you do drink alcohol, limit it to one occasional drink (12-ounce beer, 4-ounce glass of wine, or 1 ounce of hard liquor). To minimize the amount of alcohol that transfers to your baby, have that long-awaited drink after you nurse or pump milk. Also, allow at least two hours per drink before your next breastfeeding or pumping session.

Pump, please!

Working moms of the world unite! The pump can be your best friend, especially if you have to dash out the door to get to your 8-5. Getting your babe to go from breast to bottle isn’t as difficult as you might think. The best way to get your kiddo ready for the bottle is to introduce a bottle at about 1 month of age. You can pump some milk after nursing to have some milk available in reserve. It’s important to pump on a regular schedule when you return to work, and your baby may want to nurse more frequently when you are home.

For those of you who might be hesitant because of a demanding work schedule (“Will I have time to pump?”), it’s state and federal law that your employer must allow you time and a place to pump while at work. Every place of work varies on locations and time allowed to pump so please check with your HR department or your supervisor to learn more about your company’s policy.

Breast health: benefits for mom and baby

There is a great deal of evidence that supports the importance of breastfeeding. It impacts the health of both you and your baby now and in the future. Studies have indicated that breastfeeding decreases a child’s likelihood of developing diabetes, respiratory infections, some childhood cancers, and sudden infant death syndrome (known as SIDS). Other studies indicate infants who’ve breastfed may even have higher IQs. You’ll also have a decreased chance of developing premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian cancers. It can also help you lose weight, as you’re burning at least 500 calories a day just by breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding your new baby can be a wonderful experience — and it can also be challenging at times. Remember, breastfeeding is a learned skill that takes practice and patience. You might feel frustrated while you and your baby are learning and adjusting, but know that there are many resources available to help you succeed. There is also a lot of misinformation on the web, so be sure and check with your provider if you have concerns.

Laura Falin

Oh, heck — you’re probably going to think less of me for this one. But maybe I can help you feel better about yourself at least.

Several years ago, we took a trip to New York City with the kids. It was such a fun vacation and is still one of my favorites, but the logistics of herding three small children through the city were overwhelming (kudos to you guys who do this every day! You’re amazing). We had just gotten on the subway and done a head count to make sure we didn’t lose anyone when it happened. My three-year old licked the subway pole.

You just threw up a little in your mouth, didn’t you?

I have no idea why she did this. I actually just searched the BabyCenter archives, and there are some good community threads if you, too, wonder why your child licks everything. But at the time, I just got really grossed out and had to resist the urge to wipe her tongue with antibacterial gel.

There she is, eyeing her target…

She was fine. Not even a sniffle afterward. And while my case is extreme, most parents I know have looked away for a moment, then looked back to see their kid scarfing down a handful of dirt, or eating something off the floor, or inspecting the bottom of their shoe.

It turns out, a little dirt is good for kids. Dr. Jack Gilbert, a dad and scientist who studies microbial systems, just wrote Dirt is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System. He shared from his book in an interview with NPR, and we can all breathe a little easier. His research found that most of kids’ and babies’ exposure to germs are beneficial, stimulate children’s immune systems, and actually strengthen their immunity to disease.

My favorite part? When your baby spits out her pacifier, the best thing to do is lick it off and pop it back in her mouth. Don’t bother washing it. A study showed kids whose parents licked off their pacifiers had fewer allergies, less asthma, and less eczema than cleaner kids.

Also — there’s no such thing as the “five-second rule.” If germs are on the ground, they’re on whatever you drop there. The good news is that unless you dropped it into a vat of lethal pathogens, you should be fine. The germs on the floor of a modern American home won’t hurt you.

So let your kids crawl and wander. Let them get their hands (and everything else) dirty. And if they should pick some of that dirt up and stuff it in their mouths, relax and know they’re going to be just fine.

Dwayne Johnson: The actor (above with Zac Efron in Baywatch) posted a new photo with Courtney Kemp (see below), a writer and producer known for creating TV's Power. It's the caption, though, that sparks the imagination; it reads in part: "She had a take on my life in ways no writer ever has. … A fascinating POV from this woman, on what makes me the man I am today. This is the first step of many and projects like this take time." Is Johnson contemplating a movie based on…

Owen Wilson has played many funny roles, but his kids may be giving him a run for his money in the comedy department.

The actor has two sons ― 6-year-old, Ford, with his ex-girlfriend, Jade Duell, and 3-year-old, Finn, with his former personal trainer, Caroline Lindqvist. Appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” he spoke about the boys and their everyday antics.

“Ford seems like he might even be a little stunt man in training,” the actor explained before presenting a video of his “fearless” son doing an epic belly flop off a diving board. “He’s a big Jackie Chan fan,” he added.

As for Finn, they call him “me too” because he copies everything Ford does.

“Anything Ford says is just the funniest thing ever,” Wilson said. “And I can make a joke, and it’s, like, crickets. It’s like nothing from those guys.”

“Unless Ford laughs,” DeGeneres noted.

“Sometimes it feels more like I’m already seeing how they’re gonna be as teenagers, where they’re gonna sort of be ganging up on me,” the actor said.

On a recent trip to Sequoia National Park, Wilson showed his sons the famous General Sherman tree.

“I’m like, ‘Guys, this is the biggest tree in the world,’ and Ford’s like, ‘I’ve seen bigger,’” he recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Well no, Ford, actually, you haven’t seen bigger. This is the General Sherman tree. This is the biggest tree.’ And he’s like, ‘If you say so.’”

He continued, “And I’m like, ‘No, it’s not if I say so, there’s the plaque right here,’ and he’s like, ‘I can’t read.’”

Watch the full interview for more of the actor’s parenting musings, including his memories of his own childhood in the 1970s.

Said Wilson, “It was just a different time, with no sunscreens and bike helmets.”

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When Pennsylvania House Rep. Brian Sims (D-PA) woke up Wednesday morning, he followed his usual morning routine: checking the news, and then deleting the hate speech left on his Facebook by trolls overnight.

An openly gay politician, Sims is used to having to go through these motions. However, this morning one comment stuck out to him: it read “n****r faggot.”

When Sims checked the poster’s Facebook page, he didn’t find much info or a clear-cut motive for the troll’s actions.

“What caught me about it was there wasn’t a reference to something I said or something I’d done or some policy,” Sims told HuffPost. “And when I looked at his page there was very little there ― but he’d posted a telephone number a number of times.”

So Sims decided to call the number at 6:15 a.m. ― and the person on the receiving end turned out to be none other than the troll’s grandmother.

”I explained to her exactly who I as and what he had done,” Sims told HuffPost. “Like any grandma she was very embarrassed at having this kind of convo and very ashamed at the actions of her grandson. The conversation ended with me telling her that I wanted to hear from him.”

Sims did in fact ending up talking to the poster after the conversation with his grandmother. He said that he rather not discuss the specifics of their conversation but noted that it “didn’t resolve anything.”

“It is the ultimate calling card of a coward to ― under the guise of night and behind a keyboard ― use the kind of language that in person would cause most decent people to respond in anger and frustration,” Sims continued. “The reason people do things like this is they don’t have the courage, the education or gumption to do this kind of thing in person.”

Let this be a lesson to trolls everywhere: be careful what you’re posting ― it might just result in an early morning call to your grandmother!

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